Musics of the World (African music)

What is ethnomusicology against essentialism?

Ethnomusicology against essentialism argues that cultural identities and musical practices are diverse and dynamic

• Supporting individual variation instead of stereotypes

What is cultural evolutionism?

The idea that cultures develop through a single, universal sequence of stages.

What stereotypes about African music does the lecture challenge?

That African music is always rhythm-based, energetic (“hot”), or “primitive.”

Where is Ghana located?

West Africa

Who was J. H. Kwabena Nketia?

A prominent scholar of African music who researched Ghanaian music and founded an archive of African music and dance at the University of Ghana

• He was influential in promoting understanding and appreciation of African music globally

What is Ghanaian highlife?

A popular Ghanaian music style that developed during the 1950s and 1960s.

How did the guitar influence West African music?

It was introduced through Portuguese contact and trade along the West African coast

• A two-finger polyrhythmic picking style borrowed from the indigenous harp-lute seperewa is used on guitar

What is polyrhythm?

The simultaneous performance of two or more different rhythms

What is a timeline pattern in African music?

A recurring rhythmic pattern that helps organise and coordinate the ensemble.

What is a cross-rhythm?

Two or more contrasting rhythmic patterns played simultaneously

Which Ghanaian group is featured in the polyrhythmic recreational ensemble example?

The Fanti (Fante), a subgroup of the Akan people

What instruments are used in the Fante vocal-band example? (6)

1. Bell (friky iwa)

2. Rattle (maracas or axatse)

3. Pair of hand drums (tomtom)

4. Hourglass pressure drum (donno)

5. Handclaps

6. Chorus of singers.

What is the function of the bell in the Fante ensemble?

It establishes the timeline pattern, helping the other performers coordinate their rhythms.

What is the role of the donno in the ensemble?

It is an hourglass pressure drum. The player improvises carefully within accepted rhythmic patterns and frameworks

What is call-and-response?

A musical exchange in which a solo singer or group performs a phrase and another singer or group answers.

What are talking drums, and how do they “talk”?

Drums that imitate spoken language by reproducing its tones (pitch changes) and rhythms.

• The lecture’s example is the atumpan of the Ashanti people in Ghana

Who are the Ashanti?

A subgroup of the Akan people in Ghana

What is speech surrogacy?

Translating speech into music by imitating the tones and rhythms of a spoken language.

Which talking drums are featured in the lecture?

The atumpan of the Ashanti people in Ghana.

How do talking drums imitate speech?

They reproduce patterns of pitch or tone and rhythm from the spoken language.

What is a kora?

A unique West African bridge-harp used by jali musicians.

What is birimintingo?

A short instrumental improvisation with free rhythm and virtuosic flourishes, often heard at the beginning of a jali performance

What is kumbengo?

A repeated rhythmic pattern played on the kora, accompanied by long vocal tones before singing begins.

Who is Toumani Diabaté?

A famous Malian kora musician who helped bring the instrument to international audiences and collaborated with musicians across genres.

What is the mbira?

A Zimbabwean musical instrument belonging to the lamellophone family.

What is a lamellophone?

An instrument that produces sound through thin tongues or keys (called lamella)

• Usually made of metal, that are plucked.

How is the Shona mbira played?

By plucking its metal keys with the thumbs and forefingers.

What are the main parts of a Shona mbira?

A sounding board and a set of metal lamellae, often placed in a bowl-shaped resonator to increase the sound

How is a buzzing sound created on the mbira?

Metal bottle caps are attached to the rim of the instrument.

What is mbube?

A South African vocal genre associated with Zulu all-male groups

• Featuring bass voices and unaccompanied singing

What is the vocal structure of traditional mbube?

Call-and-response:

• In which a solo voice is answered by a chorus at the beginning

When did migrant workers begin holding singing competitions that helped develop mbube?

During the 1920s, after working in gold and diamond mines

What is isicathamiya?

A vocal style that developed from mbube and was popularised by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Who founded Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and when?

Joseph Shabalala founded the group in 1960.

How did Ladysmith Black Mambazo become internationally famous?

Through its 1986 collaboration with Paul Simon on his album Graceland.